Radial-draft gear.



WITN ESSES W at Ft fw s B. H. SCHMIDT. RADIAL DRAFT GEAR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 25, 1008.

- Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 BHEETB-SHEET 1.

INVENTOR E. H. SCHMIDT.

RADIAL DRAFT GEAR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNI125, 190s.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

il /llrrllll l l l g 5 4 i I I I I I a z fi INVENTOR WITN ESSES E. HPSGHMIDT.

RADIAL DRAFT GEAR.

0O 1 9 1 2 |U p 9 S d 6 t n ,w a P am 0 9 1 5 2 E N U J D E L I r N 0 I T A 0 I L P A 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

8 H IN\\IENTOR WITNESSES E. H. SCHMIDT. RADIAL DRAFT GEAR.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 25, mos

Patented Sept. 2, 1913'.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

WITNESSES WMM INVENTOR STATES/WAENT orm'on.

ERNEST H. SCHMIDT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RADIAL-DRAFT GEAR.

emon.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed June 25, 1908. Serial No. 440,288.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ERNEST l-l. Scinnn'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cleveland, Cuyahoga county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Radial- Draft Gear, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View partly in section setting forth my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof; Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the guiding elements; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing a slight modification; Fig. 5 is a sectional detail view taken on the irregular line V-V of Fig. 2 showing a connection between the draft rigging and guiding parts; Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views showing another modification; Fig. 8 is a plan view partly in section showing a further modification; and Figs. 9 and 10 are detail views showing another modification.

The purpose of my invention is to provide an attachment for guiding a radial draft gear into the required positions, which attachment is compact in form and does not interfere with the brake rigging or other parts of the car. This is an important practical consideration and is satisfactorily accomplished by my invention.

I have found that prior truck connections, which extend diagonally from the draft member toward the sides of the truck, will interfere with the brake rigging and also with the wheels when a car so equipped is placed upon a sharp curve and coupled to an ordinarycar. In such case, the draft member of the car equipped with radial draft gear will be deflected from its normal position, thus carrying the diagonal truck conuections out of their normal positions and causing this interference, especially on extreme curves. For this reason, as n ell as to make the truck connection more compact, I employ a guide arm, whose forward end engages the draft member to guide it, while its rear end is pivoted to the truck substantially at the center of the forward face of the truck bolster. I prefer to attach the guiding arm to the truck and pivot it at the point specified, for the guiding arm will thus be at right angles to the truck bolster at its center when the truck is on a straight track and will be maintained at right angles to the truck bolster at its center when the truck turns on a curve, except when the guiding arm is forcibly deflected from its normal position. The guiding arm might be in the form of a rigid brace, except that it is liable to be forced from its normal position, and for this reason, I prefer to use holding springs engaging the arm adjacent to its pivot, these springs being of such capacity that the force required to move the draft member and coupler laterally is not sufficient to compress the springs. Thus, the position of the guiding arm at right angles to the truck is normally maintained to properly guide the coupler. If, however, the conplcr and draft member are forced from their normal position, as when coupled to an ordinary car, they Will also force the guiding arm laterally against its springs, which springs will return the "uiding arm to nor mal position when the alinormal strain upon the coupler is removed.

In the drawings, 2 re )rcsents a car coupler and 3 is the radial raft gear comprismg a frame havlng top and bottom plates 3, 3, and side plates 3", which contain the draft rigging. The draft gear is connected to the car structure by a vertical pivot pin 41-, on which it swings radially. In the drawing I show this connection as made by the yoke 5 of the draft rigging, the ends of which are pivotally connected to the pin t, while the frame 3 can slide back and forth longitudinally under the stresses of bufling and draft. My invention, however, does not relate to the construction ofthe frame or to the draft rigging proper, which may be vai bolster.

'varyingthe thickness of the washers.

end of the arm 7 and the projeetin end of an arm 7, the other end of which is pivoted to the truck bolster 8 bya vertical pivot 9. An arm or arms 10, 10 pass through a transverse slot inthe arm 7 and at their ends pass between the forks of the portions or shoulders 11 on the truck bolster to which they are suitably secured. Springs 12 are set on the arms 10 between the projections 11 and the sides of the arm 7, Wash ers 13 and 13 being preferably interposed as shown in Fig. 3. The tension of the springs 12 is adjustable by suitable means, preferably by the use of nuts 14 andTlply e washer 13 has a head which fits within recesses in the forks of the projection 11 and the arm 10 is thus held in place between the forks.

In order to assemble the parts the spring 12 is compressed sufficiently to permit the head of the washer 13* to slide over the inner edges of the forks of the projections 11 far enough to register with the recesses in the forks. When thus constructed the springs 12 having a bearing on the truck through the projections 11, operate upon the guiding arm 7 -so as to guide or steer the draft gear in conformity to the angular motion of the truck, the springs being sufliciently stiff to act without further compression so long as the draft gear is free to move laterally. The reason for using. the springs instead of providing a rigid connection between the arms 11 and the uidin arm 7 is merely to permit a slight eflectlon of the draft gear, when it is desired to couple with another car of the same type, and to allow the deflection which takes place when the coupler is coupled with a car not provided with a radial draft gear. This {being the function of the springs, they may be modified in construction in various ways within the scope of my invention. Fig. 4 shows a modification in which the arms 10 are rigidly secured to the portions 11.-

The device is compact and simple, and prevents interference of the guiding mechanism with any of the other parts of the car structure;

The construction may be modified invarious wa s. For example in Figs 6 and 7, I show t e guiding arm s'lidingly fitted in a sleeve 6 on the under side of the draft gear and pivoted to the truck bolster by a bracket 15 which on a line with the bottom center plate; The pivot pin 9' passes through a T sha ed head 10 at the rear ortions of the head- 10' fit against s iding washers 16- bearing againstsprings 12 mounted on rods 17 which project from the As the arm 7 is rocked on its pivot it compresses one or the other of these springs, which therefore permit the deflecnovaoar tion above mentioned, and the T shaped heads 10 acting through the arm 7 on the draft gear keep it in its proper relation to the truck.

7 The modification shown in Fig. 8 is like that last described except that the portions of the T-head 10 are connected by rods 18 with the springs 12 mounted in casings back of the truck bolster so that rocking of the head 10 on its pivot 9 will compress one or the other of these springs.

lln the modification shown in Figs. 9 and 10 the guiding arm 7 is pivoted to a bracket on the truck bolster at 9 and has a loopshaped head 10 in advance of the pivot through which passes a rod 19 extending through projections 11 on the bolster. This rod has sliding sleeves 19 which are preferably curved on their hearing faces against thesides of the loop 10 so as to have a sliding bearing therewith and a spring 12 is interposed between these sleeves. This de vice only requires the use of a single spring. When the arm 7 is rocked on its pivot by deflection of the coupler it will act through the sleeves 19 and compress the spring in one direction or the other, and these sleeves sliding fri'ctionally on the head 10 will dampen the motion of the device and thus aid in guiding the draft gear.

My guiding arm is in a central position with reference to the truck and is as far as possible from the wheels and brakerigging under normal conditions, so that when deflected from its normal position, it must travel to the greatest extent possible before striking the brake rigging or wheels. I thus avoid the interference on curves which results from the former diagonal truck connections, especially when coupled to an ordinary car. By placing the holding spring or springs so that they engage the arm in the vicinity of its pivot, the springs are not liable to interfere with the brake rigging or the wheels. v

Other modifications of my invention will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, since What I claim is 1. In a radial draft gear, the combination with a car truck, of a radially swinging draft member, and a guiding connection between the truck and draft member, said connection comprising a single, centrally located arm which is pivotally connected to the truck at the front side of the bolster and which has a sliding engagement with the draft memberat its forward end, together with centralizing springs for said arm; substantially as described.

2. In a radial draft gear, a guiding arm engaging the radial draft member, said arm being pivoted to the truck on a vertical axis and projecting at right angles therefrom...

and spring mechanism applied at the end mally maintaining the arm at right angles portion attached to the truck to allow abt0 the truck bolster. 10 normal sidewise deflection thereof. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto 3. In a radial draft gear, a guiding arm set my hand. 5 engaging the radial swinging draft mem- ERNEST H. SCHMIDT.

ber pivotally mounted to the car truck and Witnesses: held against downward deflection by its con- HARRY E. ORR,

nection to said truck, and means for nor- HENRY F. Porn. 

